The Drug Debate (made bigger by me)

I watched two women debating on the classic FOX News split screen this morning. The topic: Do American Voters care if their president has used drugs?

Reportedly, 2008 Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama has admitted to using marijuana and cocaine. Sen. John Edwards, Presidential Candidate, and Senator John Kerry also admitted to using marijuana.

So the first woman, a Strategist for the Democratic Party, argued that American voters do not care whether or not a candidate has used illegal drugs. Voters will just dismiss it as something these guys did in their college days. It doesn't have anything to do with WHO they are. (I can argue that what you do has everything to do with who you are. Our choices and actions are a direct reflection as to who we are. So, if we can't use one's actions and choices to make judgments, what other reliable thing should we use to determine WHO someone is?)

The other woman (I can't remember her title), believes that American voters may not care so much if the candidate used drugs, as much as they care about how they react to the implication. For instance, Does the candidate just arrogantly blow off the fact that he used drugs as a no big deal thing from his youth? OR Does he acknowledge that his drug use hurt himself and others?" Then she says something along the lines of, "Does the candidate admit to using illegal drugs and acknowledge that he made a mistake and that he has learned from it; now he is a stronger and better person for it."

Uggg... First, lets define "mistake." To me, a mistake is when I ask my husband to bring home a jug of whole milk for the baby and he grabs skim milk off the store shelf instead. Calling bad choices mistakes is very popular in our culture. I think it is something we do to relieve guilt; you know, minimize the bad choice by calling it a mistake, that way it sounds more like an unintended accident from their youth. Next I would like to know how one becomes a "stronger, better" person because they used drugs. I would argue that the individual who resisted the temptation, and chose Not to use drugs in the first place is the stronger person.

I am not saying we shouldn't forgive these guys. When I was young, I drove too fast very frequently. Then I became a mother. I have slowed down since the first time my little baby rode in the backseat. Every time any of us get into a motor vehicle we take a risk of harm. By driving too fast, I increased the risk to myself and others. I have matured and slowed down, I could say I am a better person because I made the mistake of speeding but I learned from it and now I am stronger than ever. See, thats ridiculous. It simple, it would have been better if I never drove too fast.

I would even possibly vote for someone who had used illegal drugs if I weighed them against their opponents and I liked them better. Lets just stop dancing around the truth.